Pousada in Evora
Pousada in Evora – Hotel dos Loios
This luxury hotel is located in the heart of historic the centre of Evora, a city classified by UNESCO as World Heritage. The Pousada in Evora was originally a convent and one of Evora’s most precious architectural buildings.
On 1965 the convent opens its doors as a Pousada de Portugal, the former cells of the Conegos Regrantes (the congregation faithfull), were converted into luxury decorated rooms, being all different from each other.
Staying at the Pousada of Loios is reliving history itself in each stone, each glance and each object.
This was our second stay at the Pousada separated by 20 years. Not much had changed There was the same beautiful location and it’s wonderful picturesque town. and the marvelous pousada with it’s inimitable charm friendly staff and excellent service. there was nothing at all to complain about. The whole experience was as enjoyable as it was those many years ago
The arrival at the Pousada was a delight as you pass the ancient walls and climb to the top of the city complete with views and ancient ruins. The staff accepts your car even though there not an inch of space to spare.
As we had booked on line the staff was delightful at touring us through every room and accommodating us in an room upgrade to the suites located at the courtyard just off the rear patio.
We made our way to the intimate pool for a quick dip and some sun before regrouping to explore the city.
The front desk staff was every ready with maps and assistance in making reservations.
We enjoyed the morning breakfast as we looked out on the lovely historic buidlings courtyard. The property was lovely, beautifully decorated and everything we expected. We have never not been delighted in a stay at the Pousads of Portugal
Thanks I enjoyed this
We had a delighful two night stay in June 2011, on our first visit to Portugal and our first night in your country. Evora and the pousada had been recommended by one of our Portuguese friends in the USA and he definitely steered us in the right direction!
On arrival, having driven over from Sevilla by the scenic route, we were greeted warmly by your reception staff and our car was speedily parked and the bagage was whisked away to our room/cell. The room, while compact (I understand why you call them cells!) was very comfortable, as was the bathroom, and spotlessly clean…..
We ate out both nights at restaurants in town that your staff recommended (after recommending the pousada’s) and found them top class. While Fialho was very good, if you really wish to experience a great meal (especially the appetizers), you must eat at Tasquinha do Oliveira, a 12 seat restaurant with Manuel out front and his wife, Carolina in the kitchen. In operation for the last 14 years, they personified the highest standards of Portuguese food and hospitality. Delightful experience and best dining expereince of our 5 week Spain/Portugal trip.
Because of the pousada’s location right next door, we were also fortunate to go to the International Festival on both evenings with excellent performances of Indian dance one night and Morocan music the next. Again your reception’s recommendation.
While we only had the buffet breakfast in your restaurant, we were very happy with the offerings on display.
We were sorry to leave but your staff gave us a speedy and cheery farewell on our way to Porto, but we must thank them all for a delightful introduction to Portugal.
PS I am a hotelier by profession, having my own hospitailty managment company now and previosly managing such US properties as the St. Regis in New York City, The Ritz-Carlton in Chicago, the Four Seasons in Philadephia and the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach, so my hat is off to you professionally for your Evora property and its staff. Congratulations!!
Our recent visit to the Pousada in Evora left us with many happy memories, the staff on reception were charming and most helpful, our car was parked promptly and our rooms calm, comfortable and spotlessly clean. The restaurant, although rather small, was also charming and the service friendly. The waiter’s choice of wine for our meal was spot on and he also gave some good advice on wines from the Alentejo which we followed up later. However the dinner was not upto the standards elsewhere, we had recently spent three nights in Setubal and had eaten much better, so we ate out on the second night. Breakfast too was a little disappointing, we have stayed in a number of Pousadas now and I have to say that Evora does not score highly in the food stakes.
We intend to continue to visit other Pousadas as we find them amazing value for us over 55′s and have never been treated other than with courtesy and charm by all the staff. The buildings themselves are so impressive.
We enjoyed our stay at this pousada in late May. It is situated very conveniently to a wide range of sights for visitors, for daytime and night-time wandering. The rooms were quaintly furnished, right off the dining area – certain rooms can be a bit inconvenient to get into as a result. We enjoyed the buffet breakfasts, had dinner there one night and then had a nightcap in the bar one night. Very pleasant, friendly and courteous service throughout our stay. Particularly one waiter, Mr. Pedro Branca, whose good humor and wonderful service added much to our enjoyment! Our first trip to Portugal, hopefully will not be our last…
We stayed at Evora & Ourem in late June.
Both places were excellent value. The rooms & amenities were different because they are historical buildings. All the sites we visited were in facinating towns with terriffic ambiance.
We also stayed at the paradors in Carmona, Jaen & Zafra & were equally impressive.
The staff at all the hotels were superb, from the reception to the resturants.
We would recommend the Pousadas & Paradors to anybody requiring 4 star plus hotels.
We shall return to the Pousadas & Paradors on our next visit to Europe.
We stayed in mid-May and location was fantastic, right up beside the ruins. Not much parking up there but the guy at desk assisted. The room was very nice, a split level and really nice and cool temperature. The only downside of Evora was an equally “cool” reception from the young lady at the desk, less than enthusiastic compared to other pousada. She wasn’t rude, but she wasn’t exactly pleasant either. Also, reception area was generally gloomy/dark. After staying in pousada in the North, I was quite shocked actually by this reception. Even the departure was similar mood, and then after a few minutes of gloominess the guy burst into a big smile and said “have a nice day” or similar, as if it was his duty to do so. Otherwise, the location and rooms were great, squeeky clean, lovely decor. Yes, do stay there and hope the staff is different or somewhat cheerier. Other pousadas they are friendlier; maybe it was an off-day?
The town of Evora makes this pousada worth the stay. Common areas are as welcoming as the staff and location couldn’t be better. Our ground-floor room looked out to the parking lot (at lead they HAD one) and the overall condition of the room was dark & tired. Breakfast was fine. Dinner (again), disappointing.
Stunning hotel, with so much character. The cells were small but perfectly set out, decorated and spotlessly clean. We’d paid for an upgrade, but decided the standard cell was nicer.
Staff were helpful and friendly, especially with car parking.
Restaurant was slow service wise and the food mediocre, we had the same dish in the pousada one night and in a local restaurant on another, and the Pousada one was poor by comparison but far more expensive. We had stayed in another Pousada on previous nights and for the same price the food was far superior.
But apart from the quibble over the restaurant the stay was a delight. Evora is an incredible town and the Pousada perfectly placed for wandering about in the day and in the evening.
We were extremely pleased with the service, the facilities and the
food. We have stayed in another Pousada (Guimares) and were not surprised to find that the standard in both was consistently excellent! And we will certainly stay again though probably somewhere else in the country.
Évora was the first stop in Portugal for my three friends and myself and it was a warm welcome. I liked the contrast of the first floor, with its nicely-appointed lounges and bar area (and neatly tucked-away computer table),
and our rooms, which reminded us that yes, this had been a convent. The “cells” were small, but crisply decorated in a country style. The windows
gave us a glimpse of the local countryside and the Se. The bathrooms were old-fashioned, with claw-foot tubs, but sparkling clean. The breakfast buffet had a good variety of dishes, and was served in a glassed-in gallery opening on to the cloister–a bit noisy but very picturesque.
We enjoyed walking through Évora very much. The pousada is within walking distance of everything. A ten-minute stroll brought us to O Fialho where we had a wonderful dinner in a lovely setting which introduced us to local specialties. We viewed the historic cathedral next door to the Pousada and wandered through the town, stopping at the ruins, the Capela dos Ossos,
the art museum (small, very modern, good exhibit), the shops and the local plaza, which was Saturday-morning busy with activities for locals. It was a short, but delightful introduction to historic and contemporary Portugal.
I’d be very happy to spend more time at Pousada Loios.
We stayed for three nights at this pousada and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Although the room was small it was very clean and pleasant.We found the food excellent value and the staff very diligent.This was our first stay in a pousada and we are hooked on the idea of staying in an historic building set in a fabulous location. We hope to stay in another pousada on our next visit to Portugal.
Our stay in Evora was on September 26, 2010. The room was charming and the inn was very hospitable and warm. The food really was not good and the service was slow. It was really disappointing considering the cost of the food. I think you should re-evaluate the menu and perhaps bring in a different restaurant manager. The employees didn’t provide much service.
Evora was very comfortable, staff extremely helpful and food very good.
We are great fans of the Paradores in Spain and so the Pousada in Evora had a lot to live up to when we stayed there briefly on our drive down to the Algarve. Certainly Evora is an ancient and attractive town and the views are stunning. We were greeted as VIP’s by the reception staff and I was willingly help to park my car safely in a gated car park at the back. Our room (cell) was small although acceptable It was on the ground floor at the back of the hotel with the original window fastenings and therefore insecure, the shower was useless really, a bit like the one at my grandmas.
We had dinner which was fine but I feel sorry for the staff and I can understand why most of them had the “hunted look” The tables (apart from one) are placed in a single line around narrow cloisters and the poor staff spend the whole of the service rushing round in circles. Everyone did their best and I sensed they were glad when service was over. Having said that dinner came out hot with no mistakes or delays but the sweet trolley which had to be wheeled in circles collided with the back of my chair a couple of times. Breakfast was OK but not memorable. This Pousada was expensive compared with the Paradores and I think perhaps we are spoiled in that regard.
Having said my piece, to be fair nothing anywhere compares with the concept of both the Pousadas and Paradores in Spain and Portugal we will continue to support both.
This was our second visit to the Pousada Loios in Evora. The location is ideal to get a panoramic view of Evora, an extraordinary city. The rooms were small but confortable. We were a little disappointed with the dining room service. We reserved a table for 4 and were provided with a rectangular table that was not conducive to conversation. When we asked to be moved to a table that would allow us to more easily converse we got a bit of ‘attitude’ which we did not appreciate. Outside of this incident, our one night stay was pleasant.
We have stayed in many pousadas in recent years but .we were very disappointed with the posada in Evora. We arrived from the pousada in Vila Viscosa and found our luxury room dark no view and very clostrophobic . We infact downgraded to a smaller room looking out onto the restaurant. Generally very poor value we received no reduction in the153euro cost of the room – why does the standard vary so much -shouldn’t more accurate descriptions be offered
Evora was the second stop on our tour of three Pousadas (the others being Beja and Alcacer do Sal).
A beautiful building right in the heart of the historic part of Evora. The rooms were quite small and appeared to have recently been refurbished, but they were OK for a couple of nights. The bathroom had a pedestal bath (I think that’s what they are called) with a circular shower curtain if you wanted to shower – this didn’t really work – after my wife had showered the bathroom look a bit like New Orleans after the levis were breached.
The sunbathing area was very nice with very smart wicker loungers but the pool area needed some TLC – weeds were growing through cracks and a good coat of paint was certainly needed.
The restaurant didn’t look up to much – there was only a single choice – but why would you eat in the hotel in a town with so many restaurants?
Evora is a tourist destination and quite busy and bustling – completely different from the other two locations on our tour.
Amazing location certainly. Pousada seems very grand with a spacious lobby and impressive marble staircase but guest rooms are small. They are, after all, called cellsl Breakfast just adequate. Lunch and dinner expensive…
We recently stayed at Pousada Loios – Evora and were simply delighted.
The Pousada, a restored convent is superbly appointed with excellent
facilities, restaurant, bar, lounge and pool. All of which we used. The
restaurant offers an excellent Portuguese degustation or set menu
options. The food was delicious and the service excellent. Best of all
is the position of the Pousada situated in the city of Evora near the
2nd century temple of Diana because most of the historic buildings are
readily accessible, in fact because the convent is situated between the
Palace of the Counts of Basto and the house of the Dukes of Cadaval it
is a magical experience to come and go to the Pousada. Churches and
cathedrals are all within 5 -10 minute walking through a beautiful town
centre. The staff were very pleasant and helpful. The bedroom was well
appointed with wonderful views over the university and across to the
countryside beyond. Evora offers easy access to a wonderful Alentejo
wine area. We drove to the Cromlech dos Almendres Magalitic site which
is hidden in the woods West of Évora. This is the largest megalithic
monument in the Iberian Peninsula. It was built around 7000 years ago
when the Neolithic period started. We also visited Estremoz and on our
next trip hope to visit the historic town of Elvas .I can really
recommend this pousada.
where else do you find an ancient temple next to your hotel? the interior of the pousada is very beautiful too, with impressive furniture and paintings. our superior room was comfortable and spacious, and after visiting Evora it was great to chill out at the pool. dinner in the courtyard was an unforgetbable experience. highly recommended!
I booked a night here for ourselves and 5 American friends who were visiting Portugal for the first time.( 4 rooms in total ) the location is superb and we spent 1 1/2 days in Evora which we all enjoyed . The atmosphere of the pousada with its quirky layout was something they cannot replicate in the USA. — BUT oh dear me you let yourselves down — to get a drink at the bar you had to go to the front desk to get someone to serve. The food and service both for the evening meal and breakfast were terrible. Some of the courses ordered were inedible, cold and full of grease. NOT proper portuguese cooking standards at all. It took us 3 hour to be presented with a cover and two courses. The wine served with the menu of the day was of a poor quality. We did ask if there was a problem in the kitchens and the waiter just shrugged his shoulders. We, the english hosts of the party, speak portuguese so knew there was trouble and very low staff moral. Breakfast was poor ,in quality, quantity and at 9. 30am food was being cleared away when guest were still appearing for breakfast.
Just hope you do read this and can salvage the reputation of the pousada. I do know that two our our friend filled in the comments form before they we left so you should not be surprised with this comment.
We loved Evora. We had booked a superior room with a king or queen size bed on the Pousada website and when we turned up we were told the only room available was one with two single beds and that if we didn’t want it we would be charged the E300 anyway. The room looked nothing like the picture, and we could not close the windows at night, which was very cold as it was still winter. The beds were rock hard and convex shaped, so we did not get any sleep at all. Breakfast was very lame, but dinner was amazing. Though we loved the area for the price this pousada was not as advertised and was definately not worth what we paid. I would visit the area again but next time I will stay somewhere else. Because of this Pousada, we made the effort to skip the one in the Algarve where we were headed next and picked a hotel instead. I would not try to stay at another Pousada in Portugal after this experience.
This pousada was just stunning, and made you feel a part of the glorious history of Portugal. We were delighted with every aspect of our visit to Evora; the museums, churches, restaurants, and most of all the people were superb! Thank you.
The Pousada Dos Loios is superbly situated and there’s an easy stroll into
Giraldo and the centre of Evora. Giraldo is beautiful – stunning in fact but what on earth are those gaudy Chinese stores with their plastic goods spilling over the pavements doing. They are visually extremely discordant – and Estramoz was the same.
We were made most welcome on arrival and due to a booking mix-up had a magical upgrade to the ‘Special Suite’ – with a bed about 2m x 2m!
Unfortunately it was rock hard but we solved this by putting our duvet between the mattress and the bottom sheet – this made it just about okay (ancient joints need their comfort).
Parking could have been a problem but was made easy by the efficient, helpful and friendly staff who looked after the cars for residents.
We had a hire car, visiting Estremoz twice, also the wonderful ancient stones nearby (several sites).
The huge disappointment was breakfast. Two or three years ago we stayed at the pousada Santa Marinha on the edge of Guimaraes where the breakfast was the best we have ever had – anywhere. Here in Evora we had luke warm water to make our tea, didn’t touch the coffee which had stewed in its urn since 7.30am, avoided the soggy croissant-style rolls (after the first day), made the mistake of trying the pancakes – ice-cold from the fridge as was the vegetable quiche. We don’t eat meat so that left curd cheese (tasteless) and processed cheese slices (in a country that produces truly lovely cheeses – why? ). Overcooked scrambled eggs were the best thing on offer for us.
With that experience there was no way we’d even think of risking dinner.
Our suite was beautiful and peaceful, reception staff were lovely but those breakfasts – ugh.
Signposting to the Pousada needs improving , especially approaching from the south. The accomodation in a “superior room” was spacious, comfortable and quaint the only slight criticism was that the windows didn’t close properly and were noisy when the wind blew. Considering the charges both dinner and Breakfast were a bit disappointing.
Staff were courteous and polite at all times and the parking service was much appreciated at the end of a long journey. the check-out process was complicated and slow due to a discrepancy in the pre booked room rate. The location is superb with impressive views of the city and beyond.
The building is spectacular. Evora is a nice town to walk about. The rain was unfortunarely incredible too and the building must be nicer in hot weather. If you go to the bar you will have to practice your Portuguese with the barman… No other language seems to be within his reach. INteresting experience.
Me and my wife had a wonderful time at Pousada dos Loios. Wandering through the streets of Evora was delightful and we found excellent restaurants in The Alentejo. The food at the Pousada was also recommendable. Hope to come back but this time we will tour The Alentejo and visit different Pousadas in the area.
We enjoyed our stay very much. We had a very welcoming reception which included someone parking our car for us and carrying our suitcases to our room. Although our room was small it was clean and adequate. It had a nice view and the bathroom window opened up to the hall. Public rooms and the pool area were very pretty and the food in the restaurant was good. It was very quiet (though we did enjoy hearing the church bells in the morning!) It’s in a good location and it was convenient to walk to town and see the area.
Nous avons séjourné à la Pousada Monte de Sta Luzia et avons été enchantés. À Evora nous avons été très déçus par le petit déjeuner. Nous avons dû attendre près de 20 minutes pour avoir des oeufs, après les avoir demandés à plusieurs reprises. Il n’y avait plus de croissants et ce, à 9 heures, bien avant la fin du petit déjeuner. Il manquait de tout et personne ne semblait vouloir remplacer les items manquants. Nous avons séjourné dans des hôtels moins dispendieux et les petits déjeuners étaient beaucoup plus copieux.
We stayed at Monte de Sta Luzia where every thing was excellent. At Evora we were very disappointed by the breakfast. We had to wait 20 minutes to have eggs, and we had to ask to replace them at many occasions. A lot of items were missing at 9 o’clock, so at least one hour before the end of the breakfast. We stayed in hotel less expensive and the breakfast were much generous.
Very disappointed. This is an expensive Pousada and was poor value for money. There was no welcome at Reception who were uninterested and unsmiling. Our room was small and had very little space for luggage. The bathroom was not designed with clients’ needs in mind – nowhere to put bathroom items and the shower was difficult to use and flooded the floor. Public rooms were fine though service could have been better. The best feature for us was the restaurant – very good food for dinner and smiley, helpful staff. The Pousada’s location in Evora is superb – everything is within easy reach. The town itself is beautiful and well worth a visit.
We enjoyed our stay and the staff was very helpful. The room was clean and stylish, but there is absolutely no place to put luggage. There should be luggage racks in each room.
Sorry but we were very disappointed in the pousada. We were there in May 2009 and although the staff was friendly there was no historical information about the place. Our stay in Paradores in Spain was more elegant and more exciting and cost much less. We were lucky to get for the same gloden price a suite which wethought to be great but was not particularly nice. I succeeded in flooding the bathroom since the shower was in an old fashion style tub that wabbled and the showiering area was poorly done. The Pousada is centrally located and very exciting being next to the lovely church and the Roman Temple.
After staying at the Tavira Pousada for 3 nights in Feb 2009, we spent 4 at Evora. Unfortunately we found it rather disappointing. The ‘superior’ room was less pleasant than the one at Tavira, although it did have a small sitting room. The bathroom extractor fan didn’t work and we had to open windows to let the steam out. This was not fixed by the time we left. Staff were less cheery than in the Algarve. The breakfast was taken in the cloister and was very limited compared with Tavira. Dinner was also held in the cloister, but as a dinner venue it was gloomy and unappealing – at least in February. We sought restaurants in Evora instead, which were OK but not memorable. Parking close to the Pousada requires a certain amount of ingenuity. Overall, a Pousada with unrealised potential and quite expensive.
Excellent in all respects from the caring welcome, excellent catering in the wonderful cloisters, and interest of all the staff
Evora is a wonderful town. I enjoyed my stay in this Pousada a lot. The food was great, and at night the city was absolutely fascinating. Advice: if you are travelling in the Summer always carry a bottle of water.